Gastric Band Hypnotherapy

Heart disease, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes are to name but a few of the conditions which see an increased risk from obesity and being overweight.

As the most overweight country currently in Europe, Britain is now looking to alternative methods of weight-loss after experiencing little success with traditional methods such as dieting, healthy eating and exercise.

The surgery involves placing a restrictive device around the upper part of the stomach which will create a pouch only capable of holding a certain amount of food. This reduced space where food will now go after a meal will fill far more rapidly than the entirety of the stomach, meaning the feeling of fullness will happen much more quickly and consumption will be reduced.

Though the procedure is highly successful in many cases, around 80% of patients will experience unpleasant side effects such as nausea and regurgitation of food. In addition to this, those who do not adjust well to the band may have to have it removed which again means more discomfort.

The British Medical Journal has reported gastric band operations having risen from 238 a year to more than 2,543 in 2007 with an estimated 240,000 people waiting to have surgery. The NHS do offer the procedure to those who fit certain criteria but with a long waiting list, strict eligibility guidelines, a heavy price tag for those choosing to go private and a long list of potential side effects many people are looking into alternative options, one of which is gastric band hypnotherapy.

Gastric band hypnotherapy involves the use of hypnotherapy, neuro linguistic programming (NLP) and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) techniques to convince individuals that they have had a gastric band fitted but without the fears, risks, cost and side effects of going through the actual surgical procedure.

What does treatment involve?

As mentioned above the procedure will involve a number of different techniques such as positive suggestion, visualisation, CBT, NLP, Solution Focused Hypnotherapy and other techniques depending on your individual needs.

One of the key benefits of hypnotherapy is that it will also help to address any emotional and psychological issues which have caused you to begin over eating in the first place, helping you to eliminate these so you can maintain a healthy weight even years after your initial hypnotherapy treatment.

The sessions take on the format of an Initial Consultation followed by 4 further sessions (the band is ‘fitted’ on session four).  A follow up ‘band adjustment’ session is advisable. The Initial Consultation stage of the process will involve a discussion regarding your eating habits, if you tend to eat when upset or distressed or if you reward yourself with food, your BMI, what weight loss methods have already been tried, mental health and attitude towards food.

The operation

The procedure itself will be intended to mimic that of the real surgical procedure, implementing the use of sound and smell to make the experience more authentic. You will be taken you into a deeply relaxed state which will see your pulse rate drop to a rate not far from the level it falls to whilst you are asleep. In this state of deep relaxation your subconscious can then be accessed and you will be far more susceptible to positive suggestion. You remain in total control throughout the whole process.

You will then be taken through the operation step by step and throughout the procedure though you will be deeply relaxed you will still remain aware of what's going on around you. You will be taken through the entire procedure from being put under the anaesthetic, to the first incision, to the closing off the gastric band to having the final stitch put in.

Aftercare

Individual's usually find they achieve a steady ongoing weight-loss. An additional follow up session is advisable to monitor the weight loss and see if an adjustment to the gastric band is needed (this is also a requirement of actual surgery) to either speed or slow down the weight-loss. Further sessions are available and these may also involve the use of CBT techniques as this helps individuals to identify and understand their actions and take responsibility for them, a technique which will help a great deal in preventing the same problem from reoccurring in the future.

Visualisation, NLP and Solution Focused Hypnotherapy techniques may also be used during the process.

The sessions take on the format of an Initial Consultation followed by 4 further sessions (the band is ‘fitted’ on session four). The initial consultation and session one can be combined. The cost is £650. A follow up ‘band adjustment’ session is advisable.

To take that first step towards making positive change call 07867 936505 now or contact us with your requirements.